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What You Can Do

Four Former EPA Chiefs Speak Out Against the New Administration

It’s simple. Clear air, drinkable water, and a livable climate should not be partisan issues.

These former EPA administrators were appointed by four different presidents – two Democrats and two Republicans. So, what could they have in common? All of them have spoken out against the current administration’s environmental policies – as new EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt repeats fossil fuel talking points, the president signs extreme executive orders that roll back environmental progress, and a new federal budget proposes to cut EPA funding by 31 percent.

“I would not agree that [CO2 is] a primary contributor to the global warming that we see.”
Scott Pruitt, EPA Administrator

Carol Browner

EPA Administrator under President Bill Clinton (1993 - 2001)

“This budget makes significant cuts to programs that protect our air, our water, our land, which is not an American value. Eviscerating resources for scientific research on climate change and pollution is not an American value.” [Source]

"When we think about climate change, we need a moral and ethical component." - Carol Browner

Christine Todd Whitman

EPA Administrator under President George W. Bush (2001-2003)

“I don’t recall ever having seen an appointment of someone who is so disdainful of the agency and the science behind what the agency does… [Scott Pruitt] obviously doesn’t care much for the agency or any of the regulations it has promulgated. He doesn’t believe in climate change; he wants to roll back the Clean Power Plan.” [Source]

"I think, as a matter of law, that carbon is a pollutant has been settled" -Christine Todd Whitman, Bush's EPA head https://t.co/s0bsgsia6n

Gina McCarthy

EPA Administrator under President Barack Obama (2013 - 2017)

“This budget… really represents an all-out assault on clean air, water, and land. You just can’t put America first when you put the health of its people and its country last, and that’s what this budget really represents." [Source]

Science Has No Party Affiliation

It’s clear from the words of these former EPA chiefs — Democrats and Republicans alike – that climate science and the mission of the Environmental Protection Agency shouldn’t be political footballs. But while what’s going on in Washington DC is discouraging at best, we don’t have time to waste on despair and cynicism.

As Climate Reality founder, former US Vice President Al Gore, has said, “We must, we can, and we will solve the climate crisis. No one man or group can stop the encouraging and escalating momentum we are experiencing in the fight to protect our planet.” No matter what’s going on in DC, you can take action. Here are four things you can do right now to be part of the movement to solve the climate crisis:

4. Pledge to #StandWithReality. According to a recent Gallup poll, seven in 10 Americans want to emphasize alternative energy over oil, gas, and coal. Existing renewable technologies like wind and solar are creating millions of jobs around the world and will help us solve the climate crisis. But we have to make sure our leaders insist on truth, accept reality, and listen to science.